Colbie Caillat Breakthrough CD - Import

Because with ā€˛Keep the Devil out of Hillsboro', their third record, Hemlock Smith prove that this experience also allowed them to refine the contours of their universe, between delicate songwriting and subtle, never showy arrangements. In one word, the band strenghten their musical identity, using all the varieties of style contained in modern folk music. They also reunite some of the shadows that influence their craft, from Tom Waits to Mark Hollis, from the classy country music of Lambchop to the intellectual, arty rock of dEUS.

That very successful blend shows itself first in the quality of the orchestrations. Spartan, composite or luxurious, the arrangements always seem to let the songs breathe while clothing them really fine. Accordion, banjo, violin or choir improve the tunes without choking them, sometimes drifting into Mingus territory ('Family Tree'), sometimes evoking a callous blues or a circus waltz that even Nick Cave would be proud of (ā€˛Blink' and ā€˛Dunkirk/Jerusalem').

As for the most stripped down tracks from the album, they also benefit from this assured songwriting. Built around a breezy guitar or a muted piano, cruising with a delicate rhythm section, they are steered by the most particular voice of singer Michael Frei. Storyteller or crooner, Hemlock Smith's vocalist adjusts his delivery from song to song, slowly lyrical, magnetic or restrained.

But, most importantly, he's able to enhance the delicacy of the arrangements, like in the very mysterious ā€˛The North Sea', a tribute to deceased scandinavian pianist Esbjƶrn Svensson, a tune whose watery melancholy doesn't imitate this musician but, in a way, tenderly ā€˛describes' him.